Ever baked a cake by fluke?
Well, I have. This Christmas in fact.
My dear friend Saloni and I were hard at work in her very urban kitchen overlooking Lake Shore drive in Chicago. The counter top was cluttered with butter, sugar, meats and sauces as we were hard at work for Christmas dinner the next day.
I had butter softening on the counter top for the brioche dough. Completely unaware, I reach out and cream the butter with the sugar. It was only when Saloni asked me, what I was doing that I exclaimed, Oh gosh! I think I began a cake, by reflex!
That's when you know there's such a thing as holiday baking overload! When you live in a world where butter and sugar can't but go together.
Anyway, I doubt she's going to let me live this one down because she couldn't stop laughing as she said, "You're the only one I know who'd end up baking a cake by mistake!"
And what a good mistake it was!
A quick addition of some chopped apples, a basic crumb topping with some butter, flour and sugar and the result was an incredibly moist & delicious apple crumb cake for tea.
So this one is for Saloni, who has been patiently awaiting this blog post so she can make it for her adorable son who asks for it all the time and for good friends, who never let us live down our foibles!
Gather the ingredients,
Cake : 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup regular sugar, 1 large Gala or Fuji apple, 1-1/2 stick unsalted butter ( 3/4 cup ) at room temperature, 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, at room temperature, 1 cup buttermilk, 1-1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon & 1/4 tsp salt
Crumb topping: 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 of a stick chilled unsalted butter (1/4 cup), 3 tbs regular or light brown sugar
Also required is a 9" x 5" loaf pan, non-stick spray & parchment paper
Apples: Peel and core the apples. Chop into 1/4" cubes.
Flour mixture: Place a sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in the sieve. Hold the sieve 6" over the top of the bowl and lightly tap to air the flour mixture as it falls into the mixing bowl.
Spray the loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. Line with parchment paper. The baking spray acts as a glue holding the parchment paper in the pan.
Cook's Note: The vanilla bean paste has real vanilla grains and is much more potent than Vanilla extract. A baking must have!
Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.
In a large mixing bowl, with an electric immersion beater or in an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar till fluffly, light and creamy.
Crack & beat one egg at a time into the butter (discarding shells) till thoroughly combined.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract and beat to combine.
Using a rubber spatula, by hand fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in 2 or 3 batches.Fold the mixture till it is thoroughly combined but do not over mix. Cook's Note: The batter will be quite thick.
Add the chopped apples to the batter and mix till combined.
Empty the batter into the prepared cake pan and using the back of the spatula smooth out the top surface.
Crumb topping:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the crumble ingredients - all-purpose flour, butter cut up into small chunks and sugar. Using clean hands, rub fingertips into the butter and flour till the mixture ressembles coarse bread crumbs.Sprinkle completely over the batter.
Place the loaf pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the pan.
Cook's Note - My oven runs quite hot and all ovens are different so check after 55 minutes and every 10 minutes as the cake in other ovens has taken as long as 1 hr-10 minutes to thoroughly bake & the skewer to come out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Peel the parchment paper and allow the cake to slightly cool on a wire rack if eating warm or cool completely.
Cut into wedges and serve the cake warm or at room temperature with fresh whipped cream.
Recipe for
Apple Crumb Cake
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Baking time - 55-65 minutes
Shopping list
Cake :
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup regular sugar
1 large Gala or Fuji apple
1-1/2 stick unsalted butter ( 3/4 cup ) at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Crumble:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 of a stick chilled unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
3 tbs regular or light brown sugar
Also required is a 9" x 5" loaf pan, non-stick spray & parchment paper
Preparation:
Apples: Peel and core the apples. Chop into 1/4" cubes.
Flour mixture: Place a sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in the sieve. Hold the sieve 6" over the top of the bowl and lightly tap to air the flour mixture as it falls into the mixing bowl.
Spray the loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. Line with parchment paper. The baking spray acts as a glue holding the parchment paper in the pan.
Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.
In a large mixing bowl, with an electric immersion beater or in an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar till fluffly, light and creamy.
Crack & beat one egg at a time into the butter (discarding shells) till thoroughly combined.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract and beat to combine.
Using a rubber spatula, by hand fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in 2 or 3 batches.Fold the mixture till it is thoroughly combined but do not over mix. Cook's Note: The batter will be quite thick.
Add the chopped apples to the batter and mix till combined.
Empty the batter into the prepared cake pan and using the back of the spatula smooth out the top surface.
Crumb:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the crumble ingredients - all-purpose flour, butter cut up into small chunks and sugar. Using clean hands, rub fingertips into the butter and flour till the mixture ressembles coarse bread crumbs.Sprinkle completely over the batter.
Place the loaf pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the pan.
Cook's Note - My oven runs quite hot and all ovens are different so check after 55 minutes and every 10 minutes as the cake in other ovens has taken as long as 1 hr-10 minutes to thoroughly bake & the skewer to come out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Peel the parchment paper and allow the cake to slightly cool on a wire rack if eating warm or cool completely.
Cut into wedges and serve the cake warm or at room temperature with fresh whipped cream.
Enjoy!